YUPIA, 3 Feb: NABARD Chairman GR Chintala inaugurated the Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) here in Papum Pare district on Thursday.

The RSETI, which imparts training for developing skills in mushroom cultivation, tailoring and other vocations, has been functional for a couple of months now.

Interacting with reporters, Chintala said that several welfare projects pertaining to agriculture will be implemented in the state in the coming days.

“Recently, 17 mini hydel projects have been sanctioned in some villages bordering China, and 50 more such projects are in the pipeline to provide electricity to border villages,” he added.

On the same day, the NABARD chairman visited Oyan village in East Siang district and interacted with local artisans and development partners there.

Chintala advised them to “endeavour towards self-sustaining goals in order to set up successful micro-enterprises and expand the product range.”

He also met the beneficiaries of the NABARD-supported skill development programme on banana fibre products and Idu Mishmi textile in Lower Dibang Valley HQ Roing, and stressed on the importance of GI tagging of local creations.

He then visited Namsai, where he discussed issues pertaining to credit access, skilling needs, remuneration and marketing with the CEO and the board of directors of the off-farm producers’ organization Metru, and with members of the farmers-producers company NOSAAP.

The NABARD’s Itanagar Office General Manager Partho Saha also spoke.